Method of producing variegated articles of plastic material



Sept. 4, 1934.

Filed Jan. 11, 1932 Fig l Patented Sept. 4, 1934 "M H i'rnpnucmcgvammnrny *A-rt'rIeLEs orwmsrrwmmnfln Roland E.Walker,-North;Broqkfield,Mass.,-eessigner -.to Qnabaug Rubber Qonrpgny,-North BrookfildfMa'ss 'a corporation of Ma;ssachu- Application 11,

} The inv'eritionfrelates to a mamas: producing variegated *article's ofplastic material such as rubber -or rubber compositions, *and -*esec1-a11y such as are-made insheet formas-fiooring material, or tiling.

p The method comprises"essentially animprovement to thatmethodinwhichthe-'articleisbro- 'duced from a'base sheet of 'theplastic'material prepared by running througha-milhand towhich mettling'strips" forgiving colorare 'applied after which the-sheet with appliedstrips-isrun through ai m'ill one "or 'moretimes; oftentimes through acalender; and cut sections of the sheet then cured, asby vulcanizing,under "pressure. "This *is 'an is made bypractising it. Themetho'dhaa-however, its limitations "which l seek to -overcome 'bythe'pres'entimprovement. Among these liinitations-rnaytbe mentioned thefollovvi'rig: The action-of rolls on the coloring materialftends -topull the mottling along the surface of the sheet and "accordingly todrag out and 'lengthen the colors; making -sinooc'hes dfte'n of-considrable 'length which are in such radicalcontrasfito thesurrounding fcolor'i'ng "as to be *uishgurmg and necessitate' suchportion *ofthe "-'sheet so bolored Fb'eing thrown out-and used 'only'as" seconds, if used at-all. Thecoloring is largely a surface coloring.There is no uniformit'y in tlie applied "colors or- -mottling sheet as:1'it cann6t' be "conftrolleid. Another iiiifdclilty fres'ides in thefact that pocketsf-blistersandlow spurs a'fe foilnd 'in the-producttvhiohcause rejections.

w j "The objectfjdff the invention is to-lini'inate -the 5 objections orlimitations-f previously *referr'e" to, 5 "andto obtaima resultingmaterialorpi=oiluct in "which there is great 1 uniformity n am; coloringor mottling efiect ,"arid%whicheffctis cdntrollable;

permitting of great-variation in the coloring of the resultant product;a product in which all disfiguring smooches are substantiallyeliminated, as also air pockets, blisters and low spots; and a product,also, in which the greater part of the coloring extends entirely throughthe product.

The invention can best be seen and understood by reference to thedrawing in which the various figures are illustrative of elements andsteps employed in practising the method, and in Which- Figure 1 shows inside edge elevation a sheet 11 of plastic material to which coloringstrips have been applied as will later be explained.

Fig. 2 shows in side elevation a pile made from sections of the sheetshown in Fig. 1 and is illustrative, also, of manner of cutting the pileinto strips.

Figfifshows in c'ross"sectio'n a moumwitn contained strips cut from thepile shown-in Fig. 2 *ro curmger'vumamzing. g

"Fig.5 shows inside elevation the same die with "contained pile ""of-plastic material as shown i in lf'igfit?*fdr imparting anun'dulate'deffect to said pile. t

Figfibisa plan oftheplastic' pile after removal --rrom the die shown inFig. '5 l and is 1 illustrative "'dflhiirihr of 'cl itting the pile into"strips. Fig. 7 is"a,plan' "of *assernbled strips-cdt fromfthje.piie'shownini igffi'when contained ina' mould" forcu'ringbr'yuIcani-zing.

jFfg. 8is'a cross setionof abylinder with sheet "ofplastfcm'aterialwoun'd thereonto form a pile.

The"piesent method of producing 'the varie- "whioh -the shet is run willimpartan ap reciable {grain to thesheet'and tl'ie coloririgswvi1l appearfthereohas neaks running for the most -pai-t H1 *tnegenerar direction ofthe grain.

"-tlrie 'draviring.' 1 represents the sheet thus -obt -ried.--(-Fi'gf1:) Tliisshet is-ii'ow' out to form 's one 'oNsl'abs 2*andtheseare'-piled one on top {oftheotliefitoformdilaminated pile 3.(Fig.2.) Toobtain the best results 1 the se'ctio'ns or--' slabs'fdriiiin'gthe? laminaein the pil'e should be soari'ahgedtliat'th'egrain'for all will riin in the sa'me direction. st'ri'ps i are nowcut from tlie 'pile 3 by. crosscutting it in any suitable manner as by aknife. The crosscutting may be in any desired direction thoughpreferably in a direction transverse the grain and colorings. The strips4 are cut to have a thickness depending upon the thick ness of theproduct desired to be obtained, while their width depends upon thethickness of the pile 3, and when out transverse to the grain, thelatter is disposed endwise to the cut surfaces of the strips and. runsthrough the thickness thereof from surface to surface. The strips 4 arenovv= placed in a mould 5 (Fig. 3) preparatory to ouring, as byvulcanizing, under pressure. The strips are arranged side by side in themould with abutting edges to form an extended sheet the surfaces ofwhich are formed by the cut surfaces of the .gvidual colorings will aproduct. v p Peculiar swirling or .undulated effects'may be. obtained inthe resultantproduct by imparting] strips and, inasmuch as the stripsare still in a plastic state, they Will readily adhere to one another.Pressure is then applied to the laid strips, and the strips cured, orVulcanized, in the usual manner. The application of pressure incident tothe curing or vulcanizing-process tends ,to press the edges of thestrips into contact with (meanother so that the individuality of thestripsdisappears after curing or vulcanizing, the laid strips forming anintegral sheet.

In the product thus obtained there is agreat uniformity in thecolored'or mottledfeffeot. I All unsightly and disfiguring smoochesionthe sur face are eliminated for crosscuttings from 'these} smooches willonly appear; The ,mottling can "be controlled to obtain either arelatively fine or rel-- atively coarse mottling or intermediate effectsby varying the coloring applied tothebase sheet. Air' bubbles, blistersand low spots are substantially eliminated. Ninety per cent. or more of'theindi extend entirely through the an undulated form totheipile 3.This may be done by a die 6 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Strips 6 afterwhich these strips are assembled in a; mould for curing or vulcanizingthe same as be-,

fore. The swirling or undulated eiiect imparted '7 a considerabledegreein a mottled, streaked or 155 to the resultant product will beseen by reference to Fig. 7 where the strips are shown assembled'l inthe curing or vulcanizing mould. Instead of piling sections or slabs 2from a sheet 1 to form a laminated pile 3 aspreviously explained, thesheet may be wound on' a cylinder 8 of relatively large diameter asshown in Fig.1 8 to form a laminated pile in the .form of a tube 9 andsections 10 may be cut from this'tube to form laminated piles fromwhich'crosscuttings are made, and the strips assembled in a mould andcured as previously described.

tofore been obtained inasmuch as every individual I piece of mottling,streaking, ,graining or ,Veining will stand out sharp and clear out,distinct from the surrounding base color in which it is incorpo rated,or will blend into soft tone eifects ,therewith if desired. It permitsof the eliminationto' veined sheet of the showing of the plain basecolor when such typeof product is demanded. It per I mits or" the makingof a product according to a required specification or standard, theproduct running with remarkableuniformity to-any re-i 12.60

cuired specification or standard. Excellent imitations can, also, beobtained of finely grained woods, an effect hitherto consideredimpossible of achievement.

Having thus fully described my invention, I

sheet with applied strips whereby a grain will be imparted to the sheetand the sheet will become irregularlystreaked with said contrastingcolors running 'inthe direction of the grain, crosscutting said sheet'to form strips having the grain disposed endwise to the cut surfacesthereof andrunning through the thickness thereof from surface tosurface, arranging said strips by s de, in sl d eu relationship to ,forman extended sheet the surfacesof which are formed by the cut surfaces ofthe strips,

sure into an integral sheet.

2. The method of preparing anarticle ofmanufacture from vulcanizableplastic material which and vulcanizingv said strips together under pres-,7 comprises the formation of a base sheet from the plastic material,applying to the base sheet mottling strips of contrasting color,manipulating the ,sheetwith applied strips whereby a grain will beimparted to thesheet and the sheet will become irregularly streaked withsaid contrasting. colors [running in the direction of the grain, makinga laminated pile fronrthe grained and colored:

sheet with :the grain or theilami nae all inthe samedirections,crosscutting said pile in a direction transverse to the grain andcolorings to formstrips,havingthe grain disposed endwise to the cutsurfaces thereofandrunningthrbrigh the thicknesspthereof from surfacetosurface, ar-

'ranging said strips side by side in edge-abutting I relationship toform anextended sheet the sur- By practicing the method mottling,graining,

faces-of. which are formed by the cut surfaces or the' strips andvulcanizing said strips together underpressureinto an integral sheet.

, nea strips whereby the sheet will become'irregularly streaked withsaid contrasting colors, making a laminated pile from the sheet socolored,

pressingsaid pile into an undulated form, 010891.130

cutting, said undulated pile to obtain undulated strips therefrom, andcuring said strips under pressure .inlthe usual mannez'xf v.1 is ,aonannE. WALKER.

